1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for sorting and packaging eggs, fruits, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an apparatus for sorting and packaging eggs, for example, is comprised of a raw egg conveyor, a measuring device, a transfer device, a distributing conveyor, and packaging devices. Namely, eggs supplied by the raw egg conveyor are subjected to measurement of their individual weight by the measuring device, are then moved onto the transfer device, and are conveyed in a single row to the packaging devices by the single-line distributing conveyor.
The packaging devices are provided for the respective weight classifications of the eggs, e.g., 2L, L, M, MS, S, 2S, and nonstandards. The eggs conveyed in a single row by the distributing conveyor are distributed (sorted) and released onto a receiving portion of the packaging device corresponding to the weight classification to which they belong. Then, when one row of eggs, e.g., five eggs, in a number for accommodation in an accommodating container such as a packaging pack are collected in the receiving portion, the packaging device collectively discharges the relevant five eggs as a group into the accommodating container.
In conjunction with the trend in recent years toward manufacturing larger apparatuses for sorting and packaging eggs, their egg processing capability has improved remarkably to more than 30,000 eggs per hour, but there has been a demand for further improvement in the processing capability. To cope with such a demand, it is generally conceivable to increase the speed of the distributing conveyor for conveying the eggs in the single row or provide a plurality of lines of distributing conveyors.
However, since the eggs are very liable to become damaged, there is a limit to increasing the speed of the distributing conveyor, and to provide a plurality of lines of distributing conveyors the number of packaging devices must also be increased correspondingly, which is therefore uneconomical.
The distribution of the weight of eggs has a certain dispersion in which, with a central value (central egg weight) set as an apex, the farther away from the central value, the more the number of eggs in each weight classification decreases. Therefore, it can be expected that eggs are concentrated on a packaging device corresponding to a particular weight classification depending on cases. If eggs of the same standard are concentrated, though temporarily, in a particular packaging device and its processing capability is exceeded, it results in a decline in the overall processing capability of the apparatus.
To cope with the demand for improvement of the processing capability, an apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,080 has been proposed. In this proposed apparatus, first-stage receiving portions whereby eggs which are released from a four-track distributing conveyor according to their weight classifications are respectively received one by one on a predetermined number of accommodating seats are provided underneath the respective tracks of the distributing conveyor. A transfer conveyor for transferring the predetermined number of eggs received from the first-stage receiving portions is provided below the first-stage receiving portions. Further, final-stage receiving portions are disposed whereby the predetermined number of eggs released from the transfer conveyor are collectively received by or into a predetermined number of accommodating seats and are collectively released to an accommodating container on a container conveyor.
However, with this apparatus, the receiving portions provided underneath the distributing conveyor receive the eggs released from the distributing conveyor, and release them immediately to the transfer conveyor serving as the packaging device, a standby space for temporarily storing the eggs between the receiving portions and the transfer conveyor is not provided. With this apparatus, therefore, the temporary concentration of the eggs of a particular weight classification cannot be coped with by a means which temporarily stores the eggs in the process in which the eggs are released from the receiving portions to the transfer conveyor. Hence, there is a problem in that the temporary concentration of the eggs directly leads to a decline in the overall processing capability of the apparatus.
In addition, JP-A-7-291213 discloses an apparatus which prevents a decline in the overall processing capability of the apparatus by coping with the temporary concentration of the eggs in a particular packaging device while enhancing the processing capability by providing two lines of distributing conveyors each adapted to convey eggs in a single row without increasing the number of packaging devices.
However, with the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-7-291213, since the receiving position of a pool section when the eggs are received from first-stage receiving portions and the release position of the pool section when the eggs are released to final-stage receiving portions are set at the same location (bent portion), the eggs cannot be released to the final-stage receiving portions while an empty pool section having no eggs accommodated in its accommodating seats is continuing the operation of receiving the eggs at the receiving position. Namely, in the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-7-291213, for instance, in a case where the eggs are continuously concentrated in both two lines of distributing conveyors, the pool sections corresponding to the two lines of distributing conveyors continuously perform the operation of receiving the eggs from the first-stage receiving portions. During this receiving operation, the eggs cannot be released from the pool sections to the final-stage receiving portions, so that the final-receiving portions are in an idle state. Hence, there is a problem in that the processing capability of the apparatus in and after the final-receiving portions drops.
The above-described problems can occur not only in the sorting and packaging apparatus for sorting eggs according to their weight classifications and packaging them according to these weight classifications, but also in the sorting and packaging apparatus for sorting fruits or the like according to classifications of such as size and/or color and packaging them according to these classifications.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sorting and packaging apparatus which is capable of appropriately coping with a case in which articles in a particular classification must be sorted and packaged in a temporarily concentrated manner, while enhancing the processing capability by translating two or more distributing conveyors for transporting the articles preferably in a single line without increasing the number of packaging devices.
To this end, in accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for sorting and packaging articles, comprising: a plurality of distributing conveyors which are respectively translated and convey articles; a plurality of primary accommodating means which are respectively disposed below the plurality of distributing conveyors, and are each adapted to accommodate in a row articles distributed and released from each of the distributing conveyors; a plurality of standby accommodating means which are respectively disposed below the plurality of primary accommodating means, and are each adapted to accommodate by types of groups of transferred articles in one or more groups those groups of articles which are each transferred collectively from each of the primary accommodating means; a plurality of transferring means which are respectively disposed below the plurality of standby accommodating means, and are each adapted to receive the group of articles from each of the standby accommodating means; and common filling means which is disposed below the transferring means to fill the groups of articles received from each of the transferring means into a predetermined container, wherein the transferring means selectively transfers the groups of articles received from each of the standby accommodating means to the common filling means.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, in the apparatus for sorting and packaging articles according to the first aspect of the invention, each of the standby accommodating means has a plurality of standby mechanisms in each of which the group of articles from the primary accommodating means are kept on standby, and a transferring operation in which the group of articles are transferred from a preceding one of the standby mechanisms for keeping the group of articles from the primary accommodating means in a preceding manner to an ensuing one of the standby mechanisms following the preceding standby mechanism is effected on the basis of a state of standby of the group of articles in the ensuing standby mechanism.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, in the apparatus for sorting and packaging articles according to the first or second aspect of the invention, the common filling means has transporting means for transporting the groups of articles from each of the transferring means in a circulating system.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, in the apparatus for sorting and packaging articles according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the articles are eggs, and each of the primary accommodating means has a plurality of accommodating pockets for accommodating from an upper direction the eggs released from the distributing conveyor with their long axes set substantially vertically and for releasing the accommodated eggs in a downward direction, the plurality of accommodating pockets being adapted to release the accommodated eggs collectively in the downward direction.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, in the apparatus for sorting and packaging articles according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, the transfer of the group of articles from one of the transferring means to the common filling means and the transfer of the group of articles from another one of the transferring means to the common filling means are effected selectively so that the transfers will not interfere with each other.
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the invention, in the apparatus for sorting and packaging articles according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the invention, the group of articles to be transferred from the transferring means to the common filling means is selected on the basis of at least one of present numbers of groups of articles on standby in the plurality of the standby accommodating means and numbers of articles determined to be released to the plurality of the primary accommodating means and being transported by the plurality of the distributing conveyors.
In accordance with the invention, it is possible to provide a sorting and packaging apparatus which is capable of appropriately coping with a case in which articles in a particular classification must be sorted and packaged in a temporarily concentrated manner, while enhancing the processing capability by translating two or more distributing conveyors for transporting the articles preferably in a single line without increasing the number of packaging devices.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.